Cardiac tissue slice transplantation as a model to assess tissue-engineered graft thickness, survival, and function.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cell therapies offer the potential to improve cardiac function after myocardial infarction. Although injection of single-cell suspensions has proven safe, cell retention and survival rates are low. Tissue-engineered grafts allow cell delivery with minimal initial cell loss and mechanical support to the heart. However, graft performance cannot be easily compared, and optimal construct thickness, vascularization, and survival kinetics are unknown.

Methods and results

Cardiac tissue slices (CTS) were generated by sectioning mouse hearts (n=40) expressing firefly luciferase and green fluorescent protein into slices of defined size and thickness using a vibrating blade microtome. Bioluminescence imaging of CTS transplanted onto hearts of immunodeficient mice demonstrat

SUBMITTER: Riegler J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4353847 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature